COUNCIL LAYS OUT 2013-14 LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

Emphasis placed on education, housing, transportation needs

CHULA VISTA 
Chula Vista City Council members approved a legislative program for the city July 23 that focuses on education, affordable housing and transportation that the council would initiate, support and monitor for fiscal year 2013-14.

Mayor Cheryl Cox and Councilwoman Pamela Bensoussan sit on the legislative ad hoc committee and put the program together with city staff. The program was first created in 1987 and is typically adopted by the council each year, said Assistant City Manager Gary Halbert.

Its purpose is to keep the council and city proactive on issues that may affect it.

“This is essentially for the city to take positions on state legislation that may be going through,” Halbert said.

On July 23, council members reviewed nine pages of legislation.

No. 1 on the list is pursuing a master development agreement for a four-year university and research center in eastern Chula Vista.

“We’re 215 acres into having city-owned university property, with the balance of that property probably coming sometime within the next year,” Cox said. The city’s goal is to acquire a total of 375 acres.

On the transportation side, the city is supporting the completion of significant corridors such as state routes 905 and 11, I-805 and I-5 and development of roadway linkages between state Route 125 and I-805 at Main Street.

“One of the priorities from the past has been addressed, and that is to purchase SR-125,” Cox said.

State Route 125 was purchased by the San Diego Association of Governments in December 2011, and since then, the tolls have dropped dramatically.

“The ridership on SR-125 has beaten all anticipation, but what’s really going to be important to us is prioritizing the work we want to do with the federal government, the city of San Diego and the county of San Diego to make sure that the ramps from the new international border crossing at Otay II connect with the new route called SR-11…” Cox said.

Another important issue is the elimination of redevelopment and with it the loss of affordable housing incentives.

As the state deliberates on what will happen in the post-redevelopment era, the city’s housing staff should be working with the state to make sure it can secure money that becomes available for affordable housing, Cox said.

Cities also recently lost enterprise zones, which stimulate business investment and job creation for qualified disadvantaged individuals in designated economically distressed areas.

“The enterprise zones were really important to the cities of Chula Vista, National City and the city of San Diego, and that’s all going to change,” Cox said.

Chula Vista also prides itself on clean energy and plans to support legislation that provides more local government control over the use of ratepayer-supported public funding as well as explore establishment of a regional energy network. These support programs and rate structures expand access to solar and other clean energy technologies, particularly for renters and underserved citizens.

Of particular interest to Councilwoman Mary Salas is veteran housing. As an assemblywoman, she helped author a bill that placed a measure on the ballot for $12 million in new bonds for veteran housing but said virtually none of those funds was realized.